Electric call system for hotels



I I I E v ROOM ILA. HILL. ELECTRIC CALL SYSTEM FOR HOTELS. APPLICATIONJILED Augie. 192i).

1,41 1,497. Patented Apr. 4, 1922 I I E 4. SHEETSrSBEET I.-

. Qwventoo V I. A. Hill. ELECTRIC CALL SYSTEM FOR HOTELS. APPLICATION FILED AUG-9 1920.

1, 11 1,497 Patented p 4, 1922.

4 SHEETS-.SHEET 2- TlMERS F0 ROOMS atfozunzq TO SELL r. A. HILL. ELECTRIC CAL'L SYSTEM FOR HOTELS. APPLICATION FILED 'AUG.9| 1920- ggww M61 Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

l'. A. HILL. ELECTRIC CALL SYSTEM FOR HOTELS. APPL'lCATION HLED AUG.9. I920.

Patented Apr. 4; 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

gmento'o PATENT orrics. 4

IRWIN A. HILL, OF FAIRBURY, NEBRASKA.

ELECTRIC CALL SYSTEM'FOR HOTELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Augustfi, 1920. Serial No. 402,225.

To (122 whom it may concern:

Se it known that l, IRWIN A. HILL, a citizen of the Unlted States, residing at Fairbury, in the county of deflerson and declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a novel electricallyoperated call system for hotels, apartment houses, etc.

With this object in view, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification. pointed out in the cl im and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The d swings form a partof this specification, and like reference characters desig nate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views. Briefly described;

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of electricallyoperated call system, showing the application thereof to a signal in one room of a hotel, or the like;

Figure 2 i a similar View of the appli cation of my system to a pluralityof signals in a plurality of rooms;

Figure 3 is a view, in front elevation, of a portion of the mechanism;

Figure 4: is a view, in side elevation, of the part shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a view, in front elevation, of a disk carrying a plurality of contacts, and forming part of the system;

Figure 6 is a fragmentarysectional-detail. view of said disk, and

, Figure 7 is a collective detail view of sections of the switch I Referring now in detail to the drawings:

1. and 2 designate the main wires of an electric circuit. 6 designates an entrance switch, and 7 designates a meter. The conductor wires 1 and 2, leading from the meter, may pass to the lighting system of the hotel. ires 3 and i lead from the condue-tors 1 and 2, respectively, and pass to a transformer 8. The wire 4, leading from the transformer, passes, as shown, to an audible signal, such as a bell 9, supposed to be in the room of a building, such a hotel, or the like. The other wire passing from the transformer, leads to a copper contact plate 10, preferably formed as a disk con.- centrically disposed in disk 11, suitably supported in any desired manner.

in annular series of contacts 12 are carried by said disk 11, toward the margin thereof, and are suitably insulated there from, as by means of an insulation annulus 1.3 inserted in said disk.

The wire 3, leading from the transformer 8, is connected with the contact plate 10.

fl. rotatable switch member 14 is carried by the disk 11, the axis of rotation of said switch member being the center of said disk. Said switch member 14 carries, toward its ends, contacts 15 and 16, the latter contact bearing upon the contact plate 1.0. Said svitch member let is mounted in. any suitable manner upon the arbor 17 of the hour hand of a clock 18, and is automatically controlled by the rotation of said arbor.

The other contact 15, carried by the switch member 14, describes a path of movement in line with the contacts 12, carried by the disk 11, and successivelyengages said contacts in the rotation of said switch member. Said contacts 12 ar equi-distantly spaced on the disk 11; and in this instance I have shown forty-eight of these contacts, said contacts being thus spaced, in terms of time of travelof the clock hour hand, fifteen'minutes apart.

19 designates a switch box, supposed tobe located within convenient reach of the hotel clerk, sai'dbox preferably comprising a flat bottom 20, a right-angled back wall 21, end walls 22 and a curvilinear front wall 23, provided with a plurality of, preferably, equi-distantly spaced slots 24, in this instance, four being shown. Adjacent each slot 24 is disposed an arcuate insulation strip 25, carrying a plurality of equi-distantly spaced contacts 26, twelve of such contacts being shown in connection with each strip 25, the aggregate of the contacts on all four of said strips being thus forty-eight, corre sponding in number to those of the contacts 12 of the disk 11. Movable in each slot 24 is a movable switch 27 pivotally secured at one end thereof, as shown. at 28, to the switch box 19 near the bottom thereof, and being properly insulated from said box. The several switches 27 are electrically con- Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

nected by the wire 5 which leads to the bell. Each oi said switches 27 normally disposed flatly against the rear wall '21 of the box, and the exteriorly 'irojecting end of each switch is provided with a knob 29 "for the convenient, manipulation of? the switch. In such normal position the switch is out of engagement with the contacts 26- carried by the adjacent insulation strip 25 but it will be noted that it any one of said switches 27 is moved trom the vertical position thereot' toward a horizontal position it engages successively said contacts 26.

The exterior surface of the curved -front wa l 525; .l the switch box may bear suitaole indicia to identity the switch and by in specting Figure 1 it will be seen that prel erably. the inscriptions or legends l hr' 1} 3 and are used to designate the rcspectii'e switches. The exterior surface of the curved wall 23 of said box also bears indicia identifying the twelve contacts 26, said contacts being progressively identified by the reference numerals 1. to 12, as shown in Figure 1. The contacts 26 of each of the tour series are spaced, in terms ct time, one hour apart.

#Vires 28 lead from the contacts 12 to a terminal board 29 and thence to the switch box 19, where they are connected with the contacts 26 The wires 28, leading from those con cts 12 corresponding to the hours on the dial of the clock 18, are connected to the corresponding contacts 26 cooperating with the switch 27 identified in Figure l by the legend l hr, this switch 27 being thus the hour switch. Those wires 28 which are identified in Figure 3 by the traction l, (each of said wires leading from a con-- tact which corresponds to the division number on the clock dial, representing the travel of the hour hand through a time interval of fifteen minutes after any given hour), lead to the contacts 28 cooperating with the switch 27 immediately succeeding the hour switch and identified by the t action 1 on the switch box 19, shown in F igure 1. In like manner the wires 28, identified by the "fractions 11- and 37- in Figure 3, lead respectively to the contacts 26, cooperating with the levers 27 identified by the fractions 1- and i on the switch box 19, shown in Figure 1.

In operation, it will be seen that it a guest in the room of the hotel, in which the hell 9 is located, desires to be called at,

the

ocloclt in the mornin' identi 4 hotel pulls the switch by the legend 1hr in Figure j until it is in line with the contact 26, identified by the numeral (3 in the column oi numerals appearing in Figure 1 on the switch box 19. Consecuiently when the hourhand .ot the cloclz. 15-5 points to (3 on the clock dial. the hour hand arbor will have been rotated to bring the contact 15 oi. the switch 14 into engagement with the contact on the disk, 11. from which leads the wire :28, identified in F eure El by the numeral The current will then 'l'low throu 'h 10 along the switch is.- thmunh the 7 contacts 15 and i2, and alongl connected with the contact 26. said switch lever is engages, as before state and thence tl'irough said switch to tilt: conductor 5 leadingto the hell 9 thus conipleting the circuit.

It the hotel guest desires to be called at, say, fifteen minutes after seven o clocl: in the morning the switch 27, identified by the traction 9 appearingon the switch box 19 shown in Fi 'ure 1, is pulled downward until it engages with the contact 26, idcnth tied by the reference numeral '7' on the switch box 19, shown in Figure 1.

Figure 2 merely shows the wiring leading from a pluralit of bells 9 disposed in a plurality oi rooms of a hotel, or the like a plurality of switch boxes 19 being oi coursm used, in this instance, three rooms of a hotel being shown and three switch boxes 15) one switch box being used tor the correspoiuling room of the hotel.

WVhat I claim to be new is:

The combination ot a time switch, a see lGCtlVB switch for said time switch comprising co-axial switch members. an index, the co-axial members Pl'OVltlQtl with contacts. the contacts connected with the time switch and. arranged so that one of the co-axial members will make a circuit ihroueh the time switch on even hours and another ol the co-axial members will i'nali'e a circuit through the time switch at tractions of an hour, the co-axial members with their contacts and the index relatiicly arranged so that the traction of an hour contact alincd on the index with the preceding tull hour contact.

In testimony whereof I hereunto atlix my signature.

lRlvlNl it. ill Ll i. 

